Shame on Second City!!!

o.k., we just arrived after a six night cruise to Bermuda.

Here's the gripe.

SECOND CITY was OFFENSIVE!

I mean OFFENSIVE!

I worked with cancer patients and family members for over 25 years. Their grief and anguish could not be measured. My wife just had a friend whose mother passed away from a malignant brain tumor.

The Second City cast had the nerve to do a scripted skit that was based on... "You've got a brain tumor - you are going to die," as a singing telegram. How do you think audience members who had loved ones suffering from brain tuomors felt about that?

They had the nerve to preface this with a skit that made fun of a husband and wife who lost the cat they had for nine years. The "husband" could not control his laughter at this event. How do you think audience members who had lost a pet felt about that?

NCL, shame on you for allowing this scripted offensive material on your ship!!!

I have had two family members die from cancer, one from a car accident, one on 9-11...everyone has stuff that has happened to them.

Take Second City as comedy and don't take it as a personal jab.

Everything could be considered insulting to one person or another.

Sorry you found it offensive though.

PS I have also had pets die but I can take jokes..its part of the fun of cruising!

I'm sorry you were upset by this. :(

I can't for the life of me figure out how any comedian could make a living if he were to be totally PC.

I worship my cats but I could laugh at a JOKE about cats dying. We all die! Even people with brain tumors. Sorry but I get a bit annoyed with all this PC crap.

Happy Sails :)

I have had two family members die from cancer, one from a car accident, one on 9-11...everyone has stuff that has happened to them.

 

Take it as comedy

What in the world are you talking about? "Take it as comedy?"

What in the world are you talking about? "Take it as comedy?"

actually you quoted me right before I changed an edit to this post.

It should say "Take Second City as comedy"

actually you quoted me right before I changed an edit to this post.

 

It should say "Take Second City as comedy"

"Comedy" is no excuse for presenting material that is hurtful and offensive to individuals. Make fun of Bush, Obama, McCain, Clinton - no problem.

Do not make fun of people who have been diagnosed with brain tumors, breast cancer or fatal malignancies. Understand that pets are, in essence, family members, and do not make light of their passing.

I'll say it again - SHAME ON SECOND CITY!

"Comedy" is no excuse for presenting material that is hurtful and offensive to individuals. Make fun of Bush, Obama, McCain, Clinton - no problem.

 

Do not make fun of people who have been diagnosed with brain tumors, breast cancer or fatal malignancies. Understand that pets are, in essence, family members, and do not make light of their passing.

 

I'll say it again - SHAME ON SECOND CITY!

Well luckally we all have the right to walk out of the show if we feel like it.

almost all comedy offends someone. Blond jokes. Polish jokes. George Carlin Don Rickles, Laurel and Hardy, the three stooges, and even Jerry Lewis. You know the reason the Jerry Lewis(beloved by the French) does the cerebral palsy telethons has to do with some of his characters that mimicked the lame and spastic.

My mother once called the TV station because of the stereotypes that the three stooges shows did of the Japaenese that survived well after WWII....The Norwegians are the but of jokes from the Swedes and Finns....

You know the joke the brother calls home from a cruise at (5.95 a minute) and the other brother who is watching his house...asks how is the cat. the brother says the cat is dead. the brother on the cruise says why did you tell me that way. Couldn't you have said the cat went on the roof and then in the next call tell me that the cat fell , and then finally told me that the cat died...and by the why how is Mom....and he answered...Mom is on the roof...

Well luckally we all have the right to walk out of the show if we feel like it.

Why should we have to walk out on the show?

Don't you get it?

Suppose you were diagnosed tomorrow with a brain tumor. Would you be whistling a happy tune as you walked out of the show having heard that you were going to die?

Sorry, but these two skits went over the line.

One of the greatest and funniest half-hours of television was the Mary Tyler Moore episode dealing with the death of Chuckles the Clown. It was groundbreaking comedy because it dared to make fun of someone's death. Could it be offensive to some? Absolutely. But I'm willing to say that almost all comedy can be offensive to somebody.

o.k., we just arrived after a six night cruise to Bermuda.

 

Here's the gripe.

 

SECOND CITY was OFFENSIVE!

 

I mean OFFENSIVE!

 

I worked with cancer patients and family members for over 25 years. Their grief and anguish could not be measured. My wife just had a friend whose mother passed away from a malignant brain tumor.

 

The Second City cast had the nerve to do a scripted skit that was based on... "You've got a brain tumor - you are going to die," as a singing telegram. How do you think audience members who had loved ones suffering from brain tuomors felt about that?

 

They had the nerve to preface this with a skit that made fun of a husband and wife who lost the cat they had for nine years. The "husband" could not control his laughter at this event. How do you think audience members who had lost a pet felt about that?

 

NCL, shame on you for allowing this scripted offensive material on your ship!!!

I'm sorry you were upset by this. :(

 

I can't for the life of me figure out how any comedian could make a living if he were to be totally PC.

 

I worship my cats but I could laugh at a JOKE about cats dying. We all die! Even people with brain tumors. Sorry but I get a bit annoyed with all this PC crap.

 

Happy Sails :)

Well luckally we all have the right to walk out of the show if we feel like it.

yogimax I have to agree with you on this.

I am the last person in the world to be PC but I don't see this as a PC issue. With cancer so prevalent these days, there is hardly a family out there who hasn't been personally effected by it or AT LEAST knows someone who has. To make a joke of it is just NOT in good taste. And YES people can walk out if they choose to, but in this case not until the damage had been done. IMO this was irresponsible for Second City to present this act. I don't know if NCL reviews/approves their skits or not. If so, shame on NCL as well.

almost all comedy offends someone. Blond jokes. Polish jokes.

So, are you Polish?

The Poles suffered tremendously during the 20th century and proved themselves to be among the most heroic of all.

Again, I ask how making a joke of a person who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor is in any way acceptable.

Please answer this question and do not refer to Moe, Larry and Curly.

So, are you Polish?

 

The Poles suffered tremendously during the 20th century and proved themselves to be among the most heroic of all.

 

Again, I ask how making a joke of a person who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor is in any way acceptable.

 

Please answer this question and do not refer to Moe, Larry and Curly.

yep half polish and half german...dumb and stubborn.....

lets not fight about whether the Polish are among the most heroic....this is a humor thread not a history lesson....and it could have just as easily been about the Italians...you know why does the Italian tank have four reverse gears and only one forward....in case they attacked in the rear....

The point is that every ethnic group is a butt of humor at one time or another...and its not PC...

and my point was that everyone can be offended by humor and you proved the point....

Come on now. It's comedy. I saw the same skit, thought it was hilarious. I have had family members who have died from it as well. Most comedy is offensive, making fun of fat people, blacks, whites, mexicans.... You just have to go in with the attitude that I am going to have a good time and I am going to laugh if it's funny. Sorry you were offended by it, but don't condemn them or NCL for this. If you are going to then I would think you also have a problem with 95% of the adult comics out there.

yogimax I have to agree with you on this.

 

I am the last person in the world to be PC but I don't see this as a PC issue. With cancer so prevalent these days, there is hardly a family out there who hasn't been personally effected by it or AT LEAST knows someone who has. To make a joke of it is just NOT in good taste. And YES people can walk out if they choose to, but in this case not until the damage had been done. IMO this was irresponsible for Second City to present this act. I don't know if NCL reviews/approves their skits or not. If so, shame on NCL as well.

Thank you AFAMILY!

This is not a PC post. As I mentioned, I worked with cancer patients and family members for over 25 years, providing housing and spiritual and emotional support to those seeking treatment in NYC. Many suffereed from brain tumors.

When I heard the song, "You're going to die," I was shocked beyond belief.

There is hope for those diagnosed with brain tumors. Some may have been on the Spirit. To hear "You are going to die" was beyond comprehension.

SHAME ON SECOND CITY!

yep half polish and half german...dumb and stubborn.....

 

 

lets not fight about whether the Polish are among the most heroic....this is a humor thread not a history lesson....and it could have just as easily been about the Italians...you know why does the Italian tank have four reverse gears and only one forward....in case they attacked in the rear....

 

 

The point is that every ethnic group is a butt of humor at one time or another...and its not PC...

 

and my point was that everyone can be offended by humor and you proved the point....

HEY HEY HEY......how'd the Italians get involved in this? :D

Come on now. It's comedy. I saw the same skit, thought it was hilarious. I have had family members who have died from it

So you have had family members who have died from brain tumors and thought the skit was hilarious.

Sad indeed.

last comment...is the Bucket list a comedy? They do a lot of laughing and some of it is very funny and its about two people dying from Brain cancer...sometimes humor is a way of handling a difficult situation....BTW did you speak with the CD about it? much better than an email on cruise critic....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bucket_List

"Comedy" is no excuse for presenting material that is hurtful and offensive to individuals. Make fun of Bush, Obama, McCain, Clinton - no problem.

While I don't, some would find it offensive to make fun of the leaders you mention. The folks you mentioned are individuals, too. Why don't you think making fun of them would be hurtful and offensive to them? Without intending to, you've hit the nail on the head. Different people find different things funny, and different people find different things offensive. And different people deal with grief differently. In my family, we try to find humor in tragic situations and when we do, it helps us deal with it. If a tragedy was so fresh that I couldn't stand to hear a comedian make a joke about it, I would probably fall apart seeing a movie or a show dealing with the topic. In either case, if I couldn't handle it, I would leave.

sorry, I think this is a little overreacting. We have all lost family members and friends from cancer and other illnesses. As Smeyer said, comedians make a living in many ways, including poking fun. I have seen second city, twice in Las Vegas and think it is very funny and clever. Being a senior, I hear jokes about us all the time, I make them, this goes for any group. If we let everything that is directly at a group we may be part of, upset us, we would need to spend our lives in the house with the TV and radio off.

Nita

BTW did you speak with the CD about it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bucket_List

Unfortunately, the CD was too busy.

sorry, I think this is a little overreacting. We have all lost family members and friends from cancer and other illnesses. Nita

Hey Nita,

Have you ever met a family with a five year old dying from a malignant brain tumor?

I have.

Nuf said.

Sorry, but you really need to expect humor that could be offensive in nature when viewing a comedy act. This is nothing new...comedians have been doing it for years.

Whenever I watch an act or enter a club, I check my "objections" at the door.

Maybe it's not widely known, but Second City has been around for decades. Their humor is very cutting edge much like the Saturday Night Live shows. Most comedy acts you'd pay for on land are going to be the same way. Offensive is part of the act. Perhaps on a ship shows should be more "mainstream," but I'm thinking NCL assumes cruisers know what type of venue this troop presents. So maybe there should be a note in the dailies offering some kind of "warning" about the show. Sorry you were offended, Yogi. Second City is not for everyone. I certainly wouldn't think my mom would enjoy that type of show.

Sorry, but you really need to expect humor that could be offensive in nature

Yes, I know!

WHY?

Why do the Second City comedians need to get a cheap laugh at the expense of those who have lost a pet?

Why do the Second City comedians need to get a cheap laugh at the expense of those who have been diagnosed with a fatal disease?

SIMPLE - because they don't have the talent to get a laugh any other way.